RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans today urged Education Secretary David Blunkett to veto controversial plans to slash school swimming lessons.

Under proposals currently being considered by Lancashire County Council, from the beginning of the next school year, children would only spend three terms learning to swim instead of six.

Individual schools would also be responsible for funding their own pool fees and transport from the school budget, a service that was provided by the county council up to the end of the last school term.

Many schools have already protested that this move would mean cancelling lessons for up to a year as the funds likely to be allocated are not enough to meet the eventual costs.

Mr Evans called for a guarantee there would be no cut-backs and demanded the minister should "step in on the side of parents, children and teachers alike, against a county council which doggedly decided to slash the budget provision for school swimming in half."

He added: "The only way to ensure that this does not happen is if Mr Blunkett intervenes now."

The MP said that parents "resent the fact that the county council is refusing to play its part in the development of their children's swimming skills."

He added: "The council has botched up its swimming review and, as a result, it will be the children that suffer.

"Mr Blunkett must intervene now so that when primary school children return from their holidays there will have been no cut-backs and no neglect of their right to be taught how to swim."

A final decision is due to be made during the summer.

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